Thank DJ Deedle for tipping me off to this awesome take on the Hellboy comic-book character (one of my faves, btw) by this guy Eric So. I don’t know about the pink nipples, but the exaggeration is pretty fun. Lately I’m into the Mighty Muggs (just ordered Venom the other day!), so I can’t say there’s much room left on my desk.

The combination of umbrella and brass (err, silver) knuckle is pretty badass, but I can’t think how someone would swing a punch with this thing. And how often do robberies, etc get committed during a downpour? Nevertheless, and despite it’s history being described as a “saga“, the Umbuster is a nifty companion — a solid rival of the “Fuck the Rain” umbrella.

source: Gizmodo

In anticipation of director Gus Van Sant’s biopic, Milk, I had the opportunity to chat with Cleve Jones, activist and friend of the late “Mayor of Castro Street”, Harvey Milk, and who is played by Emile Hirsch in the upcoming film. Jones was in his early twenties at the time he befriended and began working with the soon-to-be first openly gay elected city official. During his time alongside Milk, Jones also helped battle Proposition 6, an initiative that sought to legalize the firing of gays and lesbians (and those who supported them) in the California public school system. Following Milk’s tragic assassination in 1978, Jones continued his activism and eventually founded the AIDS Memorial Quilt, along with continuing to participate in various outreach organizations.

-continue reading-

I’m pretty sure this is just a concept. If it were ever sold, it might present a problem burning up the days in the office. But what a cool way to show the passage of time. To make it even more dramatic, one would just have to use the day to light up a cigarette!

From Joshua Ben Longo comes some really nifty creations, under this Longoland label. The Monster Skin run is pretty cute, although the teeth scare me just a bit.

And then there’s this lil guy, Macho, who is one of handful of other creatures you can find on Joshua’s site.

I don’t recall how I came across Derek Hess, but it surprises me just how well his work and perspective fits with me. I’ve bought a number of shirts, calendars and more from his online store, and more than likely will soon pick a piece to turn into a tattoo. (I’ve been thinking about options for some time).

-read more and see some of his work-

I read BoingBoing’s original post on the subject last week and was fairly fascinated. They’ve followed it up with more info, given the slew of commentary that came in, most notably from a guy named Mark Dery who authored ‘Thirteen Ways of Looking at Severed Head‘. Morbid, sure, but at the same time pretty damn interesting.

The evidence for the survival of awareness (as opposed to brain activity) after decapitation remains inconclusive. According to Dr. Ron Wright, a forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner of Broward County Florida, “After your head is cut off by a guillotine, you have 13 seconds of consciousness (+/- 1 or 2). [...] The 13 seconds is the amount of high energy phosphates that the cytochromes in the brain have to keep going without new oxygen and glucose.”4 Naturally, electrochemical activity is no guarantor of conscious thought, although as Wright notes, there are alleged instances of disembodied heads blinking in response to questions, “two for yes and one for no.”

This is especially funny, since “Single Ladies” was the song of the Charlottesville Wine Weekend. (Don’t ask me why, but it was played more time in that damn mini-van than I care to remember.) And Justin Timberlake is actually pretty funny for once.